Before I dive right into the reader and their questions, I believe it would avail all of us to have a good understanding of where I am at in my RL, in order to understand better, why I have chosen to answer this reader in a public forum.

I am currently in the process of moving. I am packing things up, while at the same time, I am selling things and trying to train a puppy on where to shit and what he can and cannot bite ,while dealing with a kitten who has litter issues. I am also trying to keep and build a Twitter fan base, and an author page at FB. With over 4500 followers on Twitter and another couple of thousand of followers to my various blogs and pages, I believe anyone can clearly see that my time is extremely limited, for answering emails on an individual basis, as I have normally done in the past. Add to that, that the questions asked by this reader were very good and probably common questions, that might be asked by most people, then it should more than apparent why, I decided it would best to answer them publically. I asked for her permission and it was granted, thus we arrive now to the point of this post.

I will post the entire email up to when I asked for permission and then I will answer each question as fully as I would, if I had the time I normally do, because doing so in this manner should save me some time in the future, and because I believe this will benefit current and future readers. With that in mind, here is the email:

From: Jus

Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 9:50 AM

To: JB Thomas

Subject: Re:

I hated getting to the end. I need to know what happens next 🙂 🙂Did you spend a long time researching? It’s so cleverly written and so in-depth too. All the science stuff was just like… oh wow! That’s a bloke who knows what he’s talking about. You should be really proud of your work. It was pretty amazing reading.x

On 20/07/2014 3:19 PM, JB Thomas wrote:

I will probably start on it after we move and get settled in. Glad you liked it. I wish everyone would take the time to leave a review, it is appreciated.:)

JB

From: Jus

Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 7:31 AM

To: jb

You have a review on Amazon UK 🙂 When’s part 2 coming out?Jus x

Now that we have the email up we can address the comments and questions. We’ll do so in the order in which I received them(from bottom to top).

When is part 2 coming out?

Although I gave an answer of a sorts in the email, let me make a clarified one here. After I finish my move and get settled into the new place I will begin work on Shadow Shifters 2. Since most of the ground work and research has been done, it should take what is about the standard amount of time to complete. Roughly 6 months for it to be written, edited, and beta readers to read it and those things fixed, before it formatted and released. On book 2 it is looking like I will have a 3rd beta reader, but I see no reason for this to hold up the book any longer. it should only improve it. Thus my estimate would be sometime around late Dec. of this year to early Jan. of next year.

Did you spend a long time researching?

Yes, in fact I did. When I first came up with the idea of doing this book, I wanted to do something that had not been done. Of course, the easy route would have been to just to create a new twist on something that already existed such as Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, or Ghosts. However, I like to challenge myself when I write. I do this because I have been writing so long, that the only way for me to make it interesting to myself, is to make it difficult. Thus when I discovered that there was no real mythology for Shadow Beings, I decided that was the challenge I was looking for. To create a new type of monster for people to fear and as icing on the cake, these beings actually do exist. Every book I write, and in fact, nearly everything I have written since I was 12 yrs. old, has either some personal experience or research involved in its creation. For those who are unaware, I am not some Jonnie come lately or a some fresh out of college school kid, completely new to writing. I have been writing for most of my life and only recently started writing novels because I spent 22 yrs. raising kids.

In order to create this new mythology, I had to spend 2 years finding out what was known and not known about them. I had to know them in order to form a realistic explanation of who they are, where they come from, why they are here, and what powers they may have. Then I spent an additional year laying down the ideas and principles that were used in creating this mythology. The ideas and principles are based off of all that paranormal science currently knows at the present time.

It’s so cleverly written and so in-depth too.-

I know this was not a question but I wanted to explain something that I think every reader should know. When I write a book, I always know before I begin to write even a single word, what the beginning and end will be. I give my muse some room to roam but I also give him a border line, not to cross. By doing so, I can put in little things that are not easily noticed… hints,clues, and such that are not really seen until the end because I know how it going to end, before I even began to type. Doing your writing in this manner allows for many layers and depth. This book has so many secrets, that some of them won’t even be revealed, until the 2nd book. If you read it and think you caught them all, your wrong, I guarantee it.

All the science stuff was just like… oh wow! That’s a bloke who knows what he’s talking about.-

Again I realize this is not a question but if I would have replied to this email, I most certainly would have something. All that “science stuff” was researched and taken directly from various theories and the research of the many ideas presented through out the book. If you take the time to really put the work into researching something, then in the end you WILL actually know what you are talking about. Remember the old writing adage, “Write what you know”. I will add to that ,and say “If you don’t know about it, learn it, so then you can competently write about it.”

You should be really proud of your work.-

Yes, I do realize this was not a question either but I do have something to say about it and this is my writing so dammit, I’ll say it. 🙂 Yes, I am very proud of this book. I just wish more people would take the time to read a sample or share the posts about it, so that more people can enjoy this new and exciting book. Keep in mind, for me the most important thing is that people read it, it is not about the money. No, I am not saying I am wealthy. Not by a long shot! However, I am saying I already have the kind of wealth I desire and that is the love of my wife. Money can’t buy that. That being said, it is also important to me to know that people are enjoying the book, and that my work was not in vain. The only way I can truly know that, is for people to buy the book and review it. As they say, “Show me the love.”

It was pretty amazing reading.-

Again, I know not a question but that does mean I don’t have a response.:) Jus, it would have been great if this last sentence would have been in your review.:) Not that I am complaining, your review was great! It was also deeply appreciated and I cannot stress enough how important it is for anyone who reads an Indie author’s book, to leave them a review. Not only does it tell them that they have created something someone else enjoyed, it also tells them their life has meaning, and that they have value. It tells them that you appreciate their effort and the work they did and lastly, yes, it does help to sell books, but should not everyone get paid for the work they do? Yes, everyone deserves to be paid for their work and good work deserves good pay. Please remember that the next time you read a good book by ANY Indie author. They NEED your support.

I hope this post answers most questions people might have about the book and myself as an author. If not, please feel free to ask in the comments section and I will get to it as time allows. If this post made you more interested in reading the book, the links to buy are in the “My Books” section above. Keep in mind you can click the “See Inside” link, above the book cover at Amazon, and read the first couple of chapters. Thank you for reading and have an awesome day!

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2 thoughts on “Shadow Shifters…a reader’s questions answered.”

Thank you for answering my questions. If anyone is in doubt, then buy the book and see how good it is for yourself. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. Keep up the good work JB… really looking forward to the next one!